USC faces tough tailback in Arizona's Carey

The biggest threat to USC’s defense this week is a player with a fitting name: Carey.

Arizona tailback Ka’Deem Carey has lugged the ball a lot, with an average of 24 carries per game this season. He’s also averaging 5.9 yards per run, which means he should be a good barometer for a USC defense that was excellent against the run in its first four games, then sloppy two weekends ago.

Arizona State totaled 261 rushing yards in its Sept. 28 victory over USC. The Trojans, in their first four games, had allowed a combined total of 237 rushing yards.

``We played kind of back on our heels,’’ said interim Coach Ed Orgeron, who doubles as USC’s defensive-line coach. ``We were off-balance a bit.’’

Shutting down Arizona’s run game will be USC’s top defensive priority. Wildcats quarterback B.J. Denker is also a threat to take off -- he has 280 yards and six touchdowns on the ground this season -- but Carey, a 2012 consensus All-America pick, is the best tailback USC will have faced this season.

Carey ran for 1,929 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2012. This year, he was suspended from Arizona’s season opener but has rushed for at least 128 yards in each of his three games.

``He always goes forward,’’ USC defensive end Leonard Williams said. ``If he gets hit, he’s always going to try to get that extra yard. He’s a very aggressive back. Coach O has really been emphasizing wrapping up this week, and working on spin tackles. We’ve seen, on film, that he likes to spin out of tackles a lot.’’

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